Mail-box.



T. E. MELA.

MAIL Box. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 1914. 1, 125,584. Patented Jan.19,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. E

lNI/ENTOR. WITNESSES:

umbm TllM/U By @M T. E. MELA. MAIL BOX. APPLICATION FILED Humo. 1914.

Patented Jan. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SEEET 2.

WITNESSES:

IN l/ EN TOR.

THE MORRIS PETFRS Co..PHOTo.1.lT/-lo WA sHlNc roN, D. C.

UNlTgED @TENT Ome@- MAIL-B0X.

Specicationof Letters Patent. Patentd J 1L 19, 1915,

Application filed February 10, 1914. Serial No. 8127,48.

To all whom it may concern: e

-Be it known that I, Tniiis'rocLn E. MELA, a. citizen of the United4 States, residing at Sacramento, the county of Sacramento and 'State of California, haveinvented eertain new and 'useful'lmprovements iii Mail- Boxes and I do declare the following .tobe

a clear, full, 'andexact description? ofthe sanie',"referenee being had to the accompanying drawings and specifications.

` This' invention, in its general nature relatesto improvements in mail Yboxes used, by the Government in' the'coiiection of mail matter, has' Jnfire" particular rreference to certaiiidetails of'iiiiprovement over that form'ff inail bo`x Ashown in my' Letters Pat ent'dated May5`27.th,"1913, :and numbered "n fianet buecher the invention is to produce Aa simple'and inexpensive device and yet'one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes'for 'which itis designed: "These objects, I accomplish by means of such 'structure and relative Varrangementof thefparts as will fully appear 'zby a perusal ofthe' following specification and claims.v

On thedrawings, similar charactersV of reference indicate corresponding parte lin the several views. A

Figurel is a front elevation of theicomplete .device showing the mail receiving puchfi'npositionthereon.` Fig.A 2 is a side elevation oft'he same. Fig. 8 is a sectional viewtaken Aon aline of Eig. 2, showing thecoverplate on the operating mechanism Y removed and also the lock housing removed.

Llis 'a Sectional view through a portion of the nbox showing the operating mecha nism inside elevation. Figx is a rear elevation'offtheflock showing the alfiton'iaticV blockw in position toprevent operation `and.

with therearside of the lock housing removed and 'the keeper partly broken outand in section- Fig. (Slis a sideelevation of the saine.` Fig. Tis adetailedview ofthe upper of the mailreceiving pouch shown in open position. Fig. 8 is a similar view .showing the same in closed position.1 '9 .is a front elevationof the time of collection indicator. "Figi 10 is a 'sectional view` takenf ona'line X'-X of Fig. .9."

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference onY the drawings,4

the numeral V1 designates the main bodyfof the box which is,- inA my improved structure, provided -with an auxiliary forwardly projecting casing adapted toY receive thev operating mechanism, which casing 2 is sui-t- I ably separatedfroin the main bodyi l'iby means'ofa removable plate 3 to prevent thev mail mattergetting yinto'contact withl theA operating ineans wliichmight prevent siiccessful operation. t thebo'ttom of the box 1 and at each'side thereof is 'a `slotted gnide 4 adapted to receive flanged side bars secured to each side of the mail receiving Vpouch 6 to bring such pouch, when in open position, directly under the mail box.

Said mail box has a hinged ybottom, 7 adaptedlto drop open in such a manner fas to hang from the rear edge of the box to facilitate the ready .discharge of the mail matter into the receiving pouch. Such door'7 is normally locked in 1 closed'position by means of f a' `catch 8 engaging a yslidable spring controlled keeper 9, the movementof` which keeper is actuated bythe lock, which lock c'onsistsof a `,key receiving rocking' pin'- suitably journa'led in the lock housing 11 and proj ecting' atits forward end through the member 2 to allow of the insertion ofthe key `which maybe of any `desired form. On ysaid member 1() is secured a projecting arm 12 adapted to move with the rocking movement'ofsaid pinV4 10 and held in iiorinal -position lby a helical springfl secured thereto,-as at `13, and then extending around the member 10 andl projecting to an independent point, as

at 13h, whereit is again fastened.

TWith the rotary'm'otion ofthe member 10,

the arm: 12 moves over the surface of an inclined cam 14 secured on the face of a de? pending plate 15 which is swung by pins 16 in the ends of the lock housing `11. The

lower edge of the member 15 is provided with lugsl which fit `into recesses 18 in the Vupper face of the keeper 9 'so that with the movement of tlie arm maga-inst thecam 14, theplate 15 will nbe swung on jits pivotal connections 16 causing athe lugs 1T to move the keeper 9 4out of engagement with the catch 8 which then releases the bottoni 7 to l permit it to drop open, which rotary motion is imparted to the member 1() by the insert` ing and turning of a key therein from the outside of the mail box.

5 tion however is blocked against operation until such time as the mail pouch is in a position to receive the mail by means of the following structure, namely: A projecting obstacle 19 engages the upper end ot the member 12 to normallyprevent its move ment, which member 19 is suitably secured toa pin 20 suitably journaled in the side of Vthe mail box 1 at one end and in a bracket 21 secured to the lock housing 11 at thc other end. @n one end of said pin 2O is a depending lug 22 which projects into the path of one edge ot' the mail pouch when T? the same is inserted in position in the guides 4. The normal position of the obstacle 19 is maintained by a spring-19a, and as has been stated, the normal blocking position of such obstacle 19 obstructs the movement of ""l the member 12, butwhen themail pouch is inserted into position, it engages the lug 22 25 and rotates the vpin 2O and moves the member 19 out of the path of the member 12 and permits it to be operated in the manner de- "f'fscribed to empty the mail matter into the pouch which is always in inserted position 3o ready to receive the same before the bottom dro s open.

imultaneously with the delivery of the l mail into the pouch in the manner above set forth, I provide a vmeans for opening the normal closure covering for the time of collection indicator, which cover is designated by the numeral 23, which is hinged at its llower end as at 24 and held in normal closed position at its upper end by means of a 40 catch 25 which normally engages a recess 26 in the upper edge of the member 23. Said catch has a projecting arm 27 pivotallyy mounted as at 28. Said arm 27 is connected with the arm 12 by means ot' links 29 and 30, such link 30 having springs 31 and 32 each being disposed on one side of the arm 27 to maintain its normal position and to maintain the catch in its engaged position with the recess 26 whenever the cover 23 is closed.

By means of the abovestructure, whenever the arm 12- is moved to open the door 7, the catch 25 is disengaged from the recesses 26 and the cover 23 then drops open by gravity leaving the indicator tree to be set at such point as is necessary to designate the hour at which the next collection may be made. The indicator comprises a disk 33 on Y-which is indicated the hours, two pointers 34 which move over the face of such disk 33, and a sector 35 containing the designations A. M. and P. M. adapted to be exposed as desired through a slot 36 in the disk 33` ""fThe members 33, 34 and 35 are all held in position in frictional contact with Yeachother by means of a thumb screw 37 which screws rlfhis rotary 1110-'` into the body of the member 2 as seen in Fig. 10.

The mail box may be secured tothe supporting post by means of screws or bolts 38, the heads of which are countersunk into the inside of' the box as shown clearly in Fig. 4,v which bolts may be inserted into position by any suitable tool made for the purpose whereby the inside surface of the box may be uninterrupted to allow of the free pas# sage of the mail matter. v

Reviewing now briefly the complete'op eration of the device, the mail collectorI n opens his pouch into the position shown in Fig. 7 andthen inserts the members 5 into 30 the guides 4. With this insertion the lug 22 is moved to operate the pin 20 to remove the obstacle 19 from the path Vof the arm 12. The collectorthen vinserts his key in the member 10 and rotates said member 10,V the 35 limit oi rotation being determined by spaced pins V12a and 12b on the cam 14 adapted to be, engaged by the arni12. This rotation of the member 10 moves the arm 12 against the cam 14 causing theplate 15 Atozmove the90 keeper 9 away from the catch 8 andallowing the door 7 to drop down delivering the'` mail into the pouch. Simultaneously the downward movement of the arm 12 pulls on the links 29 and 30 and releases the catch 95 25 yand the cover 23 drops open in the manner described. The collector then sets the time for the next collection Vand rotates theV member 10 back to normal position, closes the cover 23, removes the pouch 6 and the obstacle 19 is then forced into the path of the arm 12 by the spring 19a and the door 7 is again closed engaging the catch 8 with the keeper 9 and the'box is then ready for the receiving of further mail matter.

The hours lof collection may be suitably shown on a plate 39 held in position on the front ofthe member 2 by means of a pivoted bar 40 engagingI hooks 41 within the member 2. The mail pouch 6 has a clasp 42 to engage the end bars 43 to hold the same closed. y

From Vthe foregoing description it will readily be seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forth herein. I

lVhile this specification sets forth in defv tail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice,'suchdeviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention. n Y j Y Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful anddesire tosecure-by LettersPatent is 1. In a mailbox having a discharge outlet and a locked closurefor its discharge outlet and an indicator and a locked cover for its'indicator and a key controlled rotatable member for simultaneously releasing -130 both of said locks, of an arm on said rotatable member, an obstacle normally engaging said arm to prevent rotation of said rotatable member and means for removing said obstacle under predetermined conditions, as described.

2. ln a mail box having a discharge outlet and a locked closure for its discharge outlet and a bag receiving means adjacent said closure, and a key controlled member for releasing said lock, an obstacle normally preventing operation of said key controlled member and means on said obstacle projecting adjacent said bag receiving means and being operable to move said obstacle to allow of the operation of said key controlled member, as described.

3. In a mailbox having a discharge outlet and a locked closure for its' discharge outlet and a key controlled rotatable member for releasing said lock, an arm on said rotatable member, an obstacle normally engag.

Y in presence of tvvo Witnesses.

TEMISTOCLE E. MELA.

Vitnesses: JOSHUA B. WEBSTER, Y FLOYD M. BLANCHARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, y Washington, D. 0; 

